Friday, April 13, 2012

A convicted drug dealer — who cops said wanted to use cash from his taxpayer-funded EBT card to post bail — is the new face of welfare abuse, according to tough-minded lawmakers who are pushing the reform-resistant Patrick administration for a crackdown.

Kimball Clark, 45, was locked up Friday on drug-dealing charges — again — when he was overheard using his one phone call to ask the person on the other end of the line to “get my EBT card and go to the ATM and get the money to bail me out, get me outa here tonight,” according to a Boston police report.

“It’s another outrage,” said state Rep. Shaunna O’Connell (R-Taunton), a member of the EBT Task Force who criticized the group for failing to push tough restrictions on the use of the controversial cards. “When we were on the EBT Card Commission, I fought to get bail bondsmen on that list of places where people could not use their EBT cards. They fought me on it and told me people can’t use their EBT cards in that way.”

Beacon Hill was forced to mull reforms after the Herald reported people were spending welfare cash on booze, cigarettes and scratch cards. more

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck Oaxaca, Mexico at a depth of 9.8 km (6.1 miles), the quake hit at 20:46:12 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 152 km (94 miles) South of Huajuapan de Leon, Oaxaca, MexicoNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck Potosi, Bolivia at a depth of 213 km (132.4 miles), the quake hit at 20:28:29 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 78 km (48 miles) West of Tupiza, BoliviaNo Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia at a depth of 27.9 km (17.3 miles), the quake hit at 20:00:33 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 355 km (220 miles) WSW from Banda Aceh, Sumatra, IndonesiaNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake has struck the North Indian Ocean at a depth of 16.8 km (10.4 miles), the quake hit at 19:52:07 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 630 km (391 miles) Southwest from Banda Aceh, Sumatra, IndonesiaNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

OKLAHOMA A SMALL PART OF NORTHWEST TEXAS

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 130 PM UNTIL 900 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES WEST OF WICHITA FALLS TEXAS TO 20 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF PONCA CITY OKLAHOMA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU0).

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

DISCUSSION...STORMS ARE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP OVER SWRN OK AS THE CAP HAS WEAKENED WITHIN A STRONGLY UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT WITH MLCAPE OF 2000-2500 J/KG. ALTHOUGH DYNAMIC FORCING FOR LARGE SCALE ASCENT IS SUBTLE...NUMERICAL GUIDANCE INDICATES THAT STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP TOWARD NRN OK THIS AFTERNOON...WITH CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL ALSO INCREASING ALONG THE NWRN EDGE OF MOISTURE AS IT RETREATS NWWD LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DEEP LAYER SHEAR OF 40 KT IN THE LOWEST 6 KM WILL FAVOR FORMATION OF SUPERCELL STRUCTURES...WITH AN INITIAL THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS. WITH TIME...LOW LEVEL WINDS/SHEAR WILL STRENGTHEN WITH A SUBSEQUENT INCREASE IN TORNADO POTENTIAL LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23025. Source

(Reuters) - Iran is concealing the destination of its oil sales by disabling tracking systems aboard its tanker fleet, making it difficult to assess how much crude Tehran is exporting as it seeks to counter Western sanctions aimed at cutting its oil revenues.

Most of Iran's 39-strong fleet of tankers is now "off-radar" after Tehran ordered captains in the National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC) to switch off the black box transponders that are used in the shipping industry to monitor vessel movements, oil industry, trading and shipping sources said.

"Iran, helped by its customers, is trying to obfuscate as much as possible," said a senior executive at a national oil company that has done business with Iran.

And Iran may have countered a reported reduction in its oil sales in March by offering big discounts in the form of free freight, finance and insurance and generous credit terms, the sources said. Read More

(Reuters) - Forecasters are warning of a possible major tornado outbreak in the Midwest this weekend, with Kansas and Oklahoma seen at particular risk as early as Saturday.

Atmospheric conditions will be similar to those that caused severe storms in parts of the Midwest and Southeast in early March that killed more than 50 people, said Steve Weiss, science support branch chief for the National Storm Prediction Center.

"We see potentially some long track and very damaging tornadoes," Weiss said.

Conditions favor strong thunderstorms in Kansas and Oklahoma Saturday, with a few "supercell" storms with rotating updrafts, Weiss said. "The potential is that some of the supercells could be long-lived, so if they produce tornadoes they could be on the ground for a while," Weiss said.

Forecasters say the storms could start Saturday afternoon into the early evening and continue after dark, when such storms can be the most dangerous. Read More

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake has struck off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia at a depth of 10.3 km (6.4 miles), the quake hit at 18:12:11 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 428 km (266 miles) SSW from Banda Aceh, Sumatra, IndonesiaNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Egypt reports H5N1 deathA 36-year-old woman who succumbed to H5N1 avian flu has become Egypt's ninth H5N1 case-patient and fifth to die this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today. The woman, from Giza governorate, became sick Apr 1, was admitted to a hospital Apr 7, and died the same day, the WHO said. Her case was confirmed by a WHO-linked national laboratory. She had exposure to backyard poultry.

Since 2006 Egypt has confirmed 167 H5N1 cases, 60 of which have been fatal. Egypt is second in the world in H5N1 cases, after Indonesia, and third in the world in H5N1 deaths, well behind Indonesia in that category but only one death behind Vietnam. Egypt's nine cases lead the world this year, with Indonesia second at five cases. Egypt has had the most H5N1 cases each year by a good margin since 2009. Read More

SURAT: More than 70 dead jellyfish were spotted on Tithal beach of Valsad on Wednesday. This has created a lot of curiosity among locals. The cause of their death is still not known.

Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) officials believe that it is first of its kind incident at Tithal. The fish were spread across 1 km square area on the beach. Locals said dead fish were being washed ashore for the past 15 days.

"When I first saw it, the fish looked like a huge plastic bag. I discovered later that it was a jellyfish. At a distance of every five to 10 feet, we have been finding the fish every day for the last 15 days. It is an alarming development," said Pratik Tandel, a local resident.

"I was surprised when I saw the creature on beach for the first time. It is first incident of dead fish being washed ashore. We were shocked to see dead jellyfish," said Harish Patel, another local resident.

So far, incidents of dead fish being washed ashore have been reported from Kolak river, Daman Ganga River and Par River estuary in Valsad district. Read More

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has struck the Kuril Islands, Russia at a depth of 67 km (41.6 miles), the quake hit at 17:04:52 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 120 km (74 miles) SSW from Severo-Kuril'sk, Kuril Islands, RussiaNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Thursday morning the Turrialbla volcano unleashed a new series of eruptions, with experts converging on the colossus to take a close look at the smoke emanations coming from its centre.

According to the Red Sismológica Nacional (RSN) and the Observatorio Vulcanologio y Sismologico de Costa Rica (OVISCORI) the activity does not present any danger, but will continue to monitor the volcano much closer.

The alert followed reports by area residents of hearing a large rumble and then the sighting of dark coloured smoke, produced by gas fumes from the volcano.

Last January the volcano became a concern for residents and experts following the emanation of white gas fumes.

Several RSN experts are on their way to the top of the volcano and the OVISCORI is keeping the national park closed and under a green alert. Source

Three Queensland children have contracted the potentially deadly meningococcal disease, two of whom are in a serious condition.

Queensland Health has confirmed three Gladstone children were in hospital with the disease.

Two of the children are in a serious but stable condition, one in Brisbane's Royal Children's Hospital and the second in Rockhampton's hospital, while a third child, also in Rockhampton's hospital, is said to be in a stable and improving condition.

Antibiotics will be offered to all children and staff at a child care centre the sick children have been linked to, Queensland Health says.

One of the children attended the centre while the other two have indirect links to it.

Public Health physician Dr Sonya Bennett said the centre's other children and staff may be carriers of the meningococcal bacteria and will be offered antibiotics. Read More

He said the accident happened about 17 nautical miles from the Takoradi Port, when an unidentified foreign supply vessel collided with a Ghanaian vessel, with registration number Luyu 901, during fishing expedition on March 20, last month. Read More

ROME, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Some 20 tons of fuel oil were spilled into the sea from a freighter near the Italian southern port city of Taranto on Thursday.

A pool of about 800 square meters has appeared on the sea because of the oil spill. Coast Guard personnel, with the help of professional company, have circumscribed the contaminated area with floating barriers and stared the operation of cleaning up oil spillage.

Some eight tons of the leaked fuel have been cleaned up till now, according to local news agency Ansa. However, it will take several days to complete all the reclamation work.

The fuel oil was leak from a freighter flying the Panamanian flag, which is moored at the cargo port of Taranto for unloading of material. Coast Guard personnel have made an inspection and found oily spotting on the shell of the ship. Source

Firefighters from eight jurisdictions in Hampton Roads left Thursday to assist with a raging wildfire in Rockbridge County in the western part of the state.

Thirty-two firefighters from York, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk and Portsmouth were deployed under a statewide mutual aid request from Rockbridge. Virginia Beach firefighters also took two brush trucks and a tanker truck. Chesapeake sent a small transportation bus, a large equipment truck and a firefighter rehab truck.

Approximately 2,665 acres are burning in western Rockbridge County and eastern Alleghany County. Dry conditions and gusty winds have allowed the fire to spread rapidly in recent days, consuming a total of more than 20,000 acres. The Virginia Department of Forestry said the fire, which is in an area called Rich Hole, grew by 1,506 acres between Tuesday and Wednesday. Portions of east and westbound Interstate 64 in those localities were closed earlier this week due to the fire. A separate fire in the nearby Alleghany Tunnels has grown to nearly 7,000 acres.

Newport News Fire Battalion Chief Steve Pincus said the challenge for firefighters in Rockbridge is its location in a remote mountainous area. He said it can be challenging in that type of environment to get firefighters and equipment in to directly attack the fire.

Pincus said firefighters are likely using a combination of tactics to control the fire, including creating a fire line around the active areas to try to keep the fire from spreading by clearing out trees, plants and debris. He said the U.S. Forestry Service is using helicopters to make water drops and some firefighters are attacking the fire on the ground with hand lines. Read More

THE EARTHQUAKE-STRICKEN country of Haiti could be on the verge of a second cholera epidemic, as the county’s rainy season leads to another rise in the number of cases recorded.

Irish humanitarian charity GOAL says the wet season, which arrived last month, led to an average of 77 new cases of cholera being recorded every day in March.

The charity’s country director Derek Butler said the surge in new cases meant a “serious health problem could be just around the corner”.

Some 7,000 people have died from cholera since it was first reported there in October 2010, nine months after the country sustained horrific damage in a powerful 7.0-magnitude inland earthquake. Read More

LUCKNOW: The thunderstorms and rains might have made climate pleasant in the state but they left a trail of death and destruction in some parts. While in Lucknow, cloudy sky and cool breeze kept temperatures below normal, as many as 14 people were killed and more than 200 injured due to severe dust and thunder/hail storms at different places in the state during the past 24 hours.

The worst affected was Jalaun where nine persons died during hailstorm which lashed the districts during wee hours. Five persons died in places adjoining Jalaun. The hailstorm and rains also damaged wheat crop at many places.

State Met director JP Gupta said that the change in weather has been due to an upper air cyclonic circulation over eastern UP. Earlier, the circulation was over West which shifted eastwards during the past 24 hours. The circulation, which was formed due to hot conditions last week, is responsible for the dust and thunderstorm at many places and hail at few places. Similar weather conditions would continue for next 24 hours. The change in weather conditions brought maximum temperatures by 1-5 degrees below normal across the state and minimum temperature was down by 1-3 degrees. Read More

Spanish bond yields also soared as it emerged that its banks borrowed a record €316.3bn from the ECB in March.

Spanish stock markets fell 3.6% to a three-year lowon Friday as concerns mounted that the country will become the next weak spot in the eurozone debt crisis and it emerged that Spanish banks had increased their reliance on cheap loans from the European Central Bank in March, borrowing almost double what they did in February.

The financial institutions, virtually blocked out of wholesale credit markets, borrowed a record €316.3bn from the ECB in March.

The Bank of Spain's figures, compared with February borrowings of €169.8bn (£139bn), sent the cost of insuring Spanish debt against default to a record high and came just before Spain tests market appetite for its debt next week.

The ECB has supplied eurozone banks with around €1tn of cheap, three-year loans in two tranches in December and February, a lifeline for battered Spanish lenders struggling to find short-term financing.

However, while the ECB's liquidity boost has proved a lifeline for Spain's banks, it could be only a temporary fix to a deeper problem of heavy property liabilities and fading confidence, economists said. Read More

Note: This also goes for any other presidents and leaders who oppress the common man and curtail his freedoms, in America, and in any nation; this prosecution should be carried out by whatever political, spiritual and physical means it requires.

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck the Fiji Region at a depth of 488.6 km (303.6 miles), the quake hit at 16:42:34 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 250 km (156 miles) WNW of NUKU'ALOFA, TongaNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck near the East Coast of Honshu, Japan at a depth of 35.8 km (22.2 miles), the quake hit at 15:54:46 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 167 km (104 miles) East from Sendai, Honshu, JapanNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck Vanuatu at a depth of 245.2 km (152.4 miles), the quake hit at 15:52:45 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 57 km (35 miles) Northeast of Isangel, Tanna, VanuatuNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck the North Indian Ocean at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 15:33:29 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 659 km (408.5 miles) Southwest from Banda Aceh, Sumatra, IndonesiaNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

A looming flare-up in the eurozone crisis over Spain will drive the price of gold towards $2,000 (£1,255) an ounce this year, a leading consultancy predicts.

Rising fears about the region’s fourth largest economy will send a fresh flood of investment towards the “safe haven” metal, according to the annual report from Thomson Reuters GFMS.

Philip Klapwijk, global head of metals analytics at the consultancy, said: “We could easily see last September’s record high [a closing high of $1,900.23 on September 5] being taken out.

“A push on towards $2,000 is definitely on the cards before the year is out, although a clear breach of that mark is arguably a more likely event for the first half of next year.”

Demand for gold often sees a boost when fears about the situation in Europe intensify. The metal can likewise benefit from the prospect of more quantitative easing (QE), as investors seek to protect their wealth from the inflationary effects of central bankers’ actions.

In the shorter term, GFMS thinks the apparent abatement of the eurozone crisis and reduced expectations for a third round of quantitative easing or “QE3” in the US could drive the gold price lower, perhaps below $1,550 in the next couple of months. more

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik will demand that he be acquitted when his trial begins next week, on the grounds that killed his 77 victims in self-defence.

The 33-year-old extremist has confessed to planting a bomb near government buildings in Oslo, and then driving to the island of Utoya where he systematically shot 69, mostly teenaged, victims.

But he has argued that his actions were "necessary" to prevent his country being overwhelmed by what he perceived as an imminent Islamic takeover.

"He is going to invoke self-defence," Geir Lippestad, his lawyer, confirmed in an interview with Norway's Dagbladet newspaper. "We of course understand that that will not succeed, but we are obliged to present his arguments."

Timothy McVeigh, the leader of the group that carried out the Oklahoma Bombing in 1995, made a similar argument, claiming that he faced an "imminent danger" from the US government, but was found guilty and later executed by lethal injection.

Norway is bracing itself for Breivik's initial testimony, expected on Monday of Tuesday. more

PC AC 130602 DAY 2 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK RESENT 1 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 0102 AM CDT FRI APR 13 2012 VALID 141200Z - 151200Z ...THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF OK AND KS... ...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF NW TX...CNTRL AND WRN OK...CNTRL AND ERN KS...SE NEB...NW MO AND FAR SW IA... ...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF THE MID-MO VALLEY...UPPER MS VALLEY...SRN PLAINS AND CNTRL PLAINS... TORNADO OUTBREAK LIKELY ACROSS THE SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS NWD INTO THE MID-MO VALLEY FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT ...SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS... AN IMPRESSIVE UPPER-LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE EWD ACROSS FOUR CORNERS REGION SATURDAY AS A POWERFUL 90 TO 110 KT MID-LEVEL JET EJECTS NEWD INTO THE SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS. AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM...A CORRIDOR OF MODERATE TO STRONG INSTABILITY IS FORECAST ACROSS ECNTRL KS...CNTRL OK INTO NW TX. THIS COMBINED WITH STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND STRONG LOW-LEVEL SHEAR WILL BE VERY FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE STORMS AND A TORNADO OUTBREAK WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS THE SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS FROM LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON LASTING THROUGH THE EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. more

A Massachusetts man convicted of conspiring to help Al-Qaeda was sentenced Thursday to 17 1/2 years in prison after giving an impassioned speech in which he declared his love for Islam and said, 'This is not terrorism; it's self-defense.'

Tarek Mehanna, 29, an American who grew up in the wealthy Boston suburb of Sudbury, was found guilty in December of traveling to Yemen to seek training in a terrorist camp with the intention of going on to Iraq to fight U.S. soldiers there.

Prosecutors said that when that plan failed, Mehanna returned to the United States and began translating and disseminating materials online promoting violent jihad.

'In your eyes I'm a terrorist. I'm the only one standing here in an orange jumpsuit,' Mehanna said in U.S. District Court in Boston.

He later added: 'America will change and recognize this trial for what it is.'

Mehanna was sentenced on four terror-related charges and three counts of lying to authorities.His family and supporters gave him a standing ovation and called out 'we love you' as he was led from the courtroom. Read More

A murder hunt was launched today after two coast guards were gunned down on an island off the coast of Alaska.

The victims' bodies were found at their work station inside the Kodiak Island Coast Guard office by a colleague early this morning.

Police and FBI are scouring the island for the mystery assassin who they believe struck between 7am and 8am, shortly after the victims arrived for work.

Coast Guard spokewoman Sara Francis said the rest of the roughly 60 enlisted personnel and civilians working at the station have been accounted for.

Capt. Jesse Moore, commanding officer of the Coast Guard base on Kodiak, said the shootings likely occurred sometime between 7 and 8 a.m., soon after the two victims arrived for work inside one of the communication station buildings.

The captain said he was not aware of any threats or anything else that might have indicated problems at the station. The station is equipped with security cameras, but it was not yet known if they captured any evidence, he said. Read More

The Canadian lynx – a large cat native to the wilds of Canada – is generally elusive, and shies away from using highway-wildlife overpasses.

But one lynx bucked the trend, and the extraordinary event was captured on camera.Using automatic motion-sensitive cameras, researchers in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, managed to capture the majestic-looking cat mid-commute.

The Canadian lynx was captured on March 28 as it crossed over the Trans-Canada Highway near Lake Louise. Read More

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck Guatemala at a depth of 102.5 km (63.7 miles), the quake hit at 13:49:55 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 15 km (9.3 miles) SSE from Cacahoatán, Chiapas, MexicoNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

A suspect wanted over a £2million heist had been held in custody – but was released on bail after confusion between police and prosecutors, it has emerged.

Lee Wildman, 35, was arrested and questioned by detectives investigating the theft of precious artefacts from a museum on Thursday, last week.

But he was bailed on Monday after the Crown Prosecution Service apparently decided there was not enough evidence to bring a charge.

Police were unable to find him the next day when they decided to re-arrest him for further questioning.

Detective and prosecutors are now trying to pointing the finger at each other over who made the decision to free Mr Wildman.

A Durham Police spokesman said that they were under pressure because 'we are governed by legislation as to how long we can hold people without charge', adding: 'at the time we were both working exceptionally hard to secure justice in challenging, fast moving conditions.'

Detective Superintendent Adrian Green told the Mirror: ‘He has been arrested, he has been interviewed, he has been bailed and now we wish to interview him again.' Read More

Hundreds of terrorised children often on the verge of suicide are calling the police every day because they are viciously bullied on Facebook.

Britain's forces fear this could be 'the tip of the iceberg' as more youngsters are certainly suffering in silence.

Many are constantly being bombarded with abusive messages or have Facebook pages set up just to bully them.

Today one of the most senior police officers in the UK has spoken out on the issue.

Greater Manchester Police chief constable Peter Fahy says children are being terrorised by cyber-bullies, and in his region alone 10 children dial 999 every 24 hours about the issue.

These complaints do not include ones made about trolls bullying on Twitter, other social networking sites or by text, with experts claiming up to one in three schoolchildren will suffer cyber-bullying at some point.

'While it is difficult to capture the true figure, we have on average of ten reports a day across the whole force concerning Facebook,' Mr Fahy said

'I am sure our figures are just the tip of the iceberg because many do not report it or decide to switch off their account. Read More

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake has struck Oaxaca, Mexico at a depth of 14.3 km (8.9 miles), the quake hit at 13:06:27 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 165 km (102 miles) WSW of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, MexicoNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck the North Indian Ocean at a depth of 15.4 km (9.6 miles), the quake hit at 12:48:12 UTC Friday 13th April 2012The epicenter was 642 km (398 miles) WSW from Banda Aceh, Sumatra, IndonesiaNo Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

(CNN) -- A Florida judge ruled Thursday that a woman's defamation lawsuit against Casey Anthony can go forward, contending that a jury should make the final decision on several contentious issues critical to the case.

Zenaida Gonzalez has filed a civil suit against Casey Anthony, who was acquitted last year of murder and other charges tied to the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee though she was convicted on four counts of providing false information to law enforcement officers.

Gonzalez alleges that Anthony defamed her and damaged her reputation when she claimed that a nanny named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez had taken Caylee, who was reported missing in July 2008 -- a month after she was last seen. The girl's remains were found in December of that year.

Authorities were never able to find the nanny. But they did find Gonzalez, the plaintiff in this case, who claimed she never met Anthony or her daughter. Read More